Ten Years Later
by Priestess Penguin
Summary: Edward always gets what he dreams of. His high school dream girl, his dream profession, the fortune and the fame. But will he realize what his heart has always wanted yet he chooses to ignore ten years later?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: Ms. Stephenie Meyer owns Edward, Bella and all Twilight characters. She probably owns me as well.

**Florence + the Machine** owns the song _**Never Let Me Go. **__I love that song to death._

_Kudos to my pre-reader and main reviewer __**IWhoLovesTwilight**__. I love you even though I tell you that I hate you._

(_**I decided to make my prologue very short. Just a glimpse. Here you go! Enjoy :)**_

"_And the arms of the ocean are carrying me,__  
And all this devotion was rushing over me_

_And the crashes are heaven, for a sinner like me,__  
But the arms of the ocean deliver me."  
_  
The whole crowd at Century Link Field quiets down as Florence belts out Never Let Me Go. I glance down at Bella beside me – and it doesn't surprise me that she has tears in her eyes – this is her favorite song from the very first moment we ever heard it. I smile to myself as I turn my attention back to the stage, thinking that this is my best birthday ever. Without any second thoughts, I grab her right hand with my left. Bella and I stare deeply into each other's eyes for one long moment and suddenly, there's no crowd around us, no concert stage about a hundred feet away - just her and me, losing ourselves in the depths of our gaze. About a million things suddenly flash into my mind;

_Thank you for this._

_You're the best person ever._

_I can gaze this way at you forever._

_I want to kiss you._

_I love you._

But we just exchange small genuine smiles before singing along to the siren that is Florence Welch.

_**Leave me some love (I'll appreciate it), honeys. 10 reviews and I'll post the next chapter. Thanks, xoxo. My tumblr account is robstenandbeyond, if you guys are interested.**_


	2. Chapter 1

** I know I said I would wait til there's 10 reviews for the prologue but since I'm not doing a really good job promoting this fic, I have decided to post the first chapter! *YAY!* It's eleven pages long and has been pre-read and critiqued by _IWhoLovesTwilight, _who by the way is turning 17 this Sunday! So, make sure to greet her by leaving me reviews :) My semestral break began TODAY so I'll be devoting more time to making this fic as awesome as I can. **

**Disclaimer:**_ Ms. Stephenie Meyer owns Edward, Bella and all Twilight characters. She probably owns me as well. I do not own Cher Lloyd, Justin Bieber, Transformers, Bumblebee, Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. Though, I would want to own them along with Rob and Kristen. _

(This chapter is my birthday gift to my pre-reader. I know we're not the mushy-mushy type of friends, but I LOVE YOU! Ha, surprise!)

I'm gonna shut up now so y'all can read.

* * *

_Chapter 1: _

"_Yo, my best friend, best friend til the very end__  
__Cause best friends, best friends don't have to pretend__  
__You need a hand, and I'm right there right beside you__  
__You in the dark? I'll be the bright light to guide you"_

I scramble out from under my blankets as the sudden blast of Cher Lloyd's voice booms from my phone. Grabbing my phone from the bedside table, I squint at its brightness only to see my best friend's wacky face displayed on the screen. _Who else will have a song like that set for a ring tone or take endless selfies using my phone or use _her _celebrity crush's face *cough* Justin Bieber *cough* as _my_ phone's wallpaper AND GET AWAY WITH IT? _Only _Bella Swan_, only her.

"Have you checked your calendar or your clock, Swan?" I hiss to the phone, not actually mad because I'm used to getting early morning phone calls from her _during weekends._

"Nope," she says with a pop to her 'p', "and nor do I intend to, Cullen."

I smirk at her playful arrogance. "Well, allow me to enlighten you, Isabella."

"Please do," Bella dares and I _know _she has this superior smile plastered on her beautiful face.

Shit. Shit, shit, shitty shit. Did I just label my best friend _beautiful? _Well, if you ask anyone familiar with Bella, which is, well, a lot of people – her being a Forks High cheerleader - I bet my ass they'll all say she's beautiful _because she is_. But, I won't tell her that. _No way in hell_. She would think I'm being a douchebag, and our relationship doesn't work that way. We're best friends and nothing more. I seriously need to push all thoughts of Bella being the most beautiful girl around out of my nutty head.

"It's five thirty am, Saturday morning," I say slowly, emphasizing each word.

"So? Are you gonna be pissed at me now, huh?" the challenge in her voice doesn't leave.

"What if I say yes?" two can play at this game.

"I'll say 'I don't give a fuck'."

"Ha! I bet you'll give one once I tell Jake he has full claim on my car's passenger seat." Jake is my guy best friend and Bella claims that she has shotgun rights every time we use my Volvo, which irks him.

"You don't play fair," she sulks.

"Never said I did," I laugh, knowing I have won.

"Whatever. I'm calling because I wanna know how your date went last night."

All of a sudden, I remember that Aberdeen High's Golden Girl has agreed to officially be my girlfriend last night. Sasha Pyre, Head Cheerleader of the AHS - whom I have dreamt of since we first met last January; whom I sent a box of chocolates to last Valentine's Day; who broke up with her last boyfriend just to go out with me – is my girlfriend.

"It went…_smoothly_," I tell her.

"Smoothly?" inquires Bella, a hint of impatience in her voice.

"Yeah, and I guess you'll be having a date with Shia LaBeouf," I declare proudly, letting what I just said sink in. Bella and I had a bet the other night that if my date goes well, tickets to Transformers: Dark of the Moon are on me.

A beat or two later, she exclaims, "Oh my God. She's your girlfriend now?!"

"Told you I'm a smooth operator."

"Yeah, and she's easy to get," she enunciates. As you can see, Bella isn't all happy about my dating Sasha for some reason_s_. The first time I told her about my interest in Sasha, she told me Golden Girl is one who kisses-and-tells-then-drops-guys-like-a-disgusting -mashed-potato, and I said, "Why do you even hang out with my sister?" She ignored me for a week because of that.

"C'mon, Bells," I reply. "Sasha's great and really, really amazing once you get to know her, and I'm sure you'll get along."

She grunts. "And why do you think would I want to get to know the great Miss Pyre?"

"Because she's my girlfriend," my answer comes out naturally.

"Oh." This is followed by a very tense silence between the lines. I don't have any damn idea what her "oh" means. Is she jealous? No way. Seconds later, Bella breaks the stillness. "Just make sure you don't have anything to do on Tuesday, okay?"

I let out an anxious chuckle. "What do you have planned for my birthday, huh?"

"It's a secret. Just fill up the Volvo's tank 'coz we'll be heading off to Seattle."

"What the heck is in Seattle?"

"Idiot. You'll find out when we get there. What time are you gonna pick me up later?"

I almost forget about our hangout later. "Around 3 pm. See you, pal."

"See you," she utters, playfulness from earlier all gone. Weird behavior; must be because of her boyfriend, James.

Since it's only a little after six am, I go back to sleep with the image of Sasha in her DKNY denim jacket and tight blue skinny jeans smiling at me stuck in my head.

In my dream, the softest lips are tracing so many kisses all over my face. With my eyes shut in contentment, I feel the lips flutter from my forehead, to my eyelids, then my nose line, and as I begin to feel like my lips in line, I open my eyes, hoping to find Sasha in front of me. To my utter shock, a familiar pair of brown eyes looks back into my green ones. She leans into me, and just as our lips are about to touch, my mom's voice hollers loudly outside my room, effectively waking me up and ending my strange dream.

"EDWARD ANTHONY CULLEN GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THE BED RIGHT THIS SECOND!" I jump out of bed in alarm, trying not to think of the fact that I'm only wearing my Forks High School shirt and a pair of a boxers, or that my hair probably looks worse than it usually does, or my stinky morning breath – when Mom raises her voice, there's no reason good enough to dawdle. I find my mother standing right outside my door, fully-dressed for work, with the biggest smile on her face. She's absolutely radiant even in her mid-40's.

"Good morning, Eddie," I totally despise that ugly childhood nickname – Mom even calls me Eddie Boo sometimes, and my twin sister, Alice, goes by Ali Boo – but I still give her a bashful smirk, "I have great news for you," she says, sitting at the edge of my bed.

"Great news this early on a Saturday morning?"

"I got a call from Mr. Alfred of the New York College of Arts last night…"

"And?" I ask hopefully. Mom and I have been trying to get a place at their summer program this year in which if I perform well in, there's a possibility for me to get in there for college. Majority of their graduates become successful journalists and news anchors.

Mom frowns. _Oh no, I didn't get in. Don't cry, Cullen. _"We might get lost while using the subway there," she says with a smile.

WHAT? _Does that mean I'm…oh, shit. I'm going to New York. _"Really?!" I exclaim, trying very hard to not start jumping around and squealing like my sister does most times.

The tears glistening in Mom's eyes are hard to miss. "I'm so proud of you, Eddie Boo," and because I'm currently floating in cloud nine, I don't get pissed off that my mother has just called me Eddie Boo.

Mom leaves shortly after the two of us made plans on how to give the news to my dad and my sister, but not before kissing the top of my head and saying how happy she is for her _Eddie Boo_. I swear to never ever allow my future wife to give such ugly nicknames for our future children.

"What's with the smiling face?" Alice grumbles through a mouthful of Frosties. "Did Sasha Pyre Queen of All Blonde Maggots finally agree to be your girlfriend?"

Like Bella, Alice is not Sasha's Number One fan either. Some kind of cheer squad rivalry, I suppose, and she has not failed to be vocal about it since my first date with _my girl._ "Pffft, what do you and Bella have against her anyways?" I retaliate, feeling annoyed because instead of dreaming about kissing Sasha, it was Bella whom I was kissing. _She will kill me if she finds out. Heck, I want to kick myself. _

Alice glares at me. Have I mentioned Bella and her are friends, too? Well, they are. "Oh, nothing… except for the fact that Sasha is actually the HEAD CHEERLEADER OF ABERDEEN HIGH WHICH MAKES HER _OUR_ PRIME ENEMY."

"News fuh-lash," I say in the best imitation of her shrill voice, "I'm not in your stupid cheer squad and my relationships do not concern any of your dim-witted feuds with Aberdeen High."

"I wish I have a recorder with me right now so you can be kicked out of the Track team. That evil fake blonde is turning you against your own school and she has only been your girlfriend for who knows how many hours."

_How the fuck does my sister even know whether Sasha is a fake blonde or not? _"You are seriously annoying, Midget. Can you stop corrupting my best friend's mind with your foolish gossip because unlike you, I actually want her and Sasha to get along." That's a low blow, but most of the time, I feel like Bella's actually my sister and not this evil incarnation in front of me. I love Alice dearly but she is thoroughly obnoxious, I do not know how Bella can stand her.

Mary Alice is actually the reason why I'm even friends with Bella. Back in third grade, Alice – being the friendlier twin – schemed with our whole class to get back at me for eating her ice cream sandwich one time during a family dinner. All of them ganged up away from me, and even though I didn't have any fucks to give, it was in the fourth day of my sister's plot did a pale little brunette with big, chocolate brown eyes join me at the swing set during recess.

"_Are you new here, too?" the girl squeaks, holding her lunchbox._

"_No," I reply, staring directly into her eyes. _

"_Then, why have you been alone for the past couple days?"_

"_It's my sister. She's a witch." The girl laughs. "I haven't seen you around here before, you're new?"_

_She nods. "I moved here from Phoenix with my mom. My name's Isabella, but if we become friends, you can call me Bella."_

"_I guess you're not one of my sister's henchmen, then?" We both laugh this time. "I'm Edward, nice to meet you, _Bella."

"Dream on, Edward Cullen. She broke up with her last boyfriend – whom she has dated for over a year - just to be available for you, what a bitch," Alice babbles.

With a roll of my eyes, I say, "Well, maybe she's in-love with me."

"In-love my ass," she whines before taking her plate full of pancakes to the living room. "Fake blondes with slutty ways don't have 'in-love' in their dictionary."

That afternoon, Bella and I hang out in one of the cubicles at Chillers' Bakeshop, both of us enjoying our tall glasses of milkshake and sharing a hefty slice of their triple chocolate cake. We regularly come here for afternoon snacks or just plainly out of boredom, agreeing that their milkshake is the best in the world.

My friendship with Bella is probably the most natural thing in the world for me, and possibly, it is for her, as well. Over the years, there have been zero pretenses between us; she can tell me absolutely anything, whether it's the latest news about Justin Bieber or a petty fight she had with her boyfriend, James Damon, and I'll listen and absorb it all like any normal girl BFF, and it's the same with me to her. With Bella, I might as well have been a girl. Do not get me wrong, I'm not gay and I still despise the too strong perfume I catch on most girls, but besides, my best friend has assured me that she sees me like an older brother all the time.

I have my own guy friends, too, Jacob and Liam whom I have been friends with since sixth grade, after they stopped teasing me for hanging out with Bella majority of the time. Liam and I saved our school's Track and Field team from its yearly losing streak while Jake is hoping to be promoted as the football team's Captain to add into his credentials before we graduate next year.

Anyways, as I was saying earlier, it had always been easy between Bella and me, but today, there is some kind of space amid us. It is there, when our conversations abruptly pause, and the lull stretches on for what seems like a million years until she comes up with something else. Honestly, it kinda freaks me out, but I say nothing about it and just go with her _flow_. Maybe, she's on her period, because if there's something else bothering her, she will have told me, right?

"So…you really like Sasha, don't you?" she mutters after another conversation break. I pretend to play Temple Run on my phone when our exchanges dwindle down.

I look up from my device to see find her brown eyes gazing at me intently. They seem hollow. "Yeah, I do. That's why I have pursued her all this time."

She drops her eyes and goes back to slowly sipping her drink. "Of course, you do. I guess her being from Aberdeen isn't a factor."

I hate the fact that she has to spend time with my sister and _actually _adapt to Alice's conniving ways. "Bella, can you please stop being friends with Alice or just refrain from being so…cheerleader_ish,_" I complain with a shudder.

"Excuse me?" Bella gasps.

_Fuck. Have I just said what I just said? _In her almost four years of being in the cheer squad, Bella has made it clear to me that the brutal chatter in the locker rooms disgusts her. I wonder how she tolerates my sister.

"Forget what I said," I mumble. "That was dumb."

"Good thing you know. One more time you tell me that, I will punch your guts out. You got me, Edward Cullen?" the antagonism in her voice clear.

The idea of Bella's cute, little fist punching my guts out could have been funny but boy, does she pack one hell of a punch. Back in eighth grade, Bella got so pissed at Tyler Crowley for calling her 'princess', she knocked his lights out after the dismissal. I squealed like a girl when she did that, being the proud best friend.

"Yes, Ma'am," and I almost give a salute. "Is something bothering you?" I ask, serious this time.

Her eyes flit away to settle outside, nonchalantly watching the people passing by. "I broke up with James…," her voice is so quiet it barely comes out as a whisper.

"What? But, why?" so that explains her erratic behavior.

"He wants me to do it with him, but I don't. James told me he loves me and that he wants to seal it with the deed, and he was forceful - he groped me…" she trails off.

I want to find James and fucking kill him. "He's a disgusting guy and you did the right thing, pal," I huff. "When did all these happen?"

"Just this past week. I couldn't tell you because you were so caught up with Sasha and I didn't want to ruin your happy little bubble so I turned to Tanya." Tanya is her stepsister and she & Bella are really close. I hate it that I wasn't even there for her.

"Sorry, Bells. Really, I am. I really want to punch that bastard in the face."

The smile she gives me is small but genuine. "I already did it, gave him a much deserved black eye for squeezing my _girls_."

My mouth drops open. "The fucker!"

Despite the situation, she laughs. "You know, you're really funny when you're angry. I took care of it; he's out of my life. 'I love you, Bella' my ass."

The way she says it dissipates my rage and turns it into a laughing bubble. "I hope you punched him so hard his eye pushes all the way back into his head."

Bella's laughs come harder. "I think I made a significant mark in his life, don't you agree?" I nod, trying to rein in my laughter.

"Tell you what," she says after our giggles dissolve, "talking to you about it has made me feel a whole lot better. I have been such a bitch this whole week."

So, James is who have been causing her behavior. A small part of me feels disappointed that she isn't jealous of Sasha. "You didn't tell Alice that Sasha is officially my girlfriend?"

"Nope. You only told me this morning and I haven't spoken to Alice since yesterday afternoon."

I quietly decide that my sister is really some kind of witch for knowing that information. Suddenly, I feel like a fool for even thinking Bella has been the one to relay the information to Alice, they may be friends but she isn't like that. "Sorry. She just knows."

"I understand. Nothing gets away from Alice."

The silence that follows is anything but uncomfortable. I'm glad we're back. "So…Shia LaBeouf is waiting for us."

"You're the best, Cullen," Bella grins.

"That's why we're here, Swan."

The movie being such a hit, we are only able to catch the last full show. Bella shrugs when I glance from the girl at the ticket booth to her. "My curfew's at ten, don't worry about me." So I purchase two deluxe tickets for the 7.30 show. We are such huge fans of Transformers; she says Shia's great portrayal of Sam Witwicky is such a turn-on while I'm a little irked by the fact that Megan Fox isn't the lead girl anymore, but most of all, my best friend is Bumblebee's Number One fan.

"I swear if Michael Bay kills off Bumblebee here, I will demand for a refund," Bella tells me as we settle into our seats, large popcorn in one hand, a Coke in can in the other.

I laugh, remembering how emotional she can get when the movies are really good. By 9.30 pm, everyone is ushered out from the cinema to the cool Port Angeles summer air, both of us thoroughly high from the buzz of what we have just seen.

"That was friggin' awesome!" "Did you see how they all gave some serious kick to the Decepticons' nasty butts?" "Megan Fox would have rocked it." "That evil boss, I knew from the start he has something up his sleeves." Our conversation as we walk towards my car goes on like that, sometimes with fist bumps and laughs and funny facial expressions.

Bella is cracking a joke about the Dutch assistant when a familiar female voice beckons me. "Edward?"

We both turn around to find Sasha with a couple of her friends, I remember being introduced to them as "Irina-and-Kate" sometime last week. "Sasha, baby!" I exclaim in surprise and excitement.

She walks over to me and we automatically wrap our arms around each other. "What are you doing here?" I ask, kissing her hair.

"Having a good time with my girlies." Sasha nods over to "Irina-and-Kate".

I wave to them as another person clears her throat. It slipped my mind for a second that Bella is with me. "Oh, babe, I want you to meet, Bella, my best friend," I tell my girlfriend.

Sasha's face twist into some kind of smirk. "I know _her_, she's in Forks High's cheer squad. Nice to finally meet you, Bella. Edward has told me _so_ much about you," she says it such a sweet voice that I know there is something underneath it.

Turning to Bella, I try to tell her with my eyes to go easy. "Nice to meet you, too Sasha. I'm afraid I know so little about you." Bella's triumphant smile has it all: Just because you're dating my best friend doesn't mean we're friends, too.

"I intend to change that," the blonde in my arms shoots back.

"No, thanks. I think I know enough." Of course, Bella will fight for the last word.

Sasha smiles at her too pleasantly before turning back to me. "Babe, Irina's car kinda broke down just right now, do you mind driving us to my house?"

I dart a quick glance to my watch – 9.45 – and then, to the brunette standing a few feet away. She's being very casual about this whole situation.

"Can we drop off Bella first? She needs to be home by ten," I prompt.

"Bella Swan needs to be home by ten?"Sasha repeats, louder for her friends to hear. "Irina-and-Kate" giggle.

"What's it to you?" Bella hisses.

"Oh, nothing, just that you're what, sixteen or seventeen, and you still have a curfew? Worse, it's a ten pm curfew."

I notice Bella's hand curling into a fist. Oh, hell, no. "Okay, so what if Bella has a curfew? You have a curfew now, too, baby," I cut in, standing between the two of them.

"Aw, you're so sweet. Let's go." Sasha grabs my hand and pulls me towards my car. "Kate! Irina!"

Without another word, Sasha pulls the passenger door open and gets in, declaring, "Shotgun!"

Have you ever experienced those moments when you can just feel the glare of a person like it's boring actual deep holes through your head? Right then, and there, I felt it. Of course, Bella has full claim on _that _passenger seat currently occupied by my girlfriend, but can that rule be compromised whenever said-girlfriend of mine is around? Is that compromise okay for me, knowing that the girl who owns _that seat _is gonna be reluctantly seated at the back while my girlfriend, who my best friend dislikes (it is apparent), takes her place?

I glance at Bella; her eyebrows are raised, eyes pointing directly at me, like she wants me to say something. The chicken that I am, I shrug at her, and with that, she scoffs but throws herself in the backseat right after "Irina-and-Kate" gets in.

On the drive to Bella's house, "Irina-and-Kate" babble on and on about random stuff, and with a glimpse on the rearview mirror, I see Bella looking intensely out of the window, trying to sit as far as she can from the two blondes. Sasha turns on the stereo and scowls when Florence + the Machine blasts out.

"Oh my God, who listens to this racket?" she complains, ejecting the CD and throwing it on the dashboard.

In my peripheral vision, Bella is about to make a move of protest, it is her Ceremonials CD after all, so I speak up. "Babe, please, get the CD," I tell Sasha.

"Is it yours? Oh, I'm sorry," Sasha reaches for it and gives me such a gentle smile. _My heart melts, _and I smile back.

"It's not _his, _that racket of a CD belongs to me." I glare at Bella through the rearview mirror for breaking the bubble, but she keeps her eyes on Sasha. Either she doesn't notice my stare or she deliberately ignores it.

Sasha hands over the CD to Bella before shrugging and turning back to me. "I have something to tell you, baby," her right hand landing on my knee, and right then and there I almost lose control of the car.

"Irina-and-Kate" giggle to themselves the same time Bella lets out a huff. "Please get your freak on when you guys are alone," she comments.

"Bella's right," Sasha acquiesces, exchanging furtive glances with her two friends, "maybe she shouldn't ride with us next time."

A flash of light from the lamp posts outside shows a smirking Bella, but behind the smirk I can see the annoyance. "I assure you, _Sasha, _I wouldn't be caught dead riding in the same car as you are ever again."

My girlfriend has nothing to say after that. About five minutes later, I halt my car in front of the Dwyer-Swan home, before following Bella out. "Don't take too long, babe," Sasha calls after me.

I trail after Bella as she walks up to their porch, a faint light coming from inside the living room window. "Bells, I'm sorry about Sasha," I say.

"Not your fault she's such a bitch, Edward." Her tone isn't annoyed or angry, but it isn't joking either. Flat and monotonous – I hate it when she's being serious like that.

"Okay, I won't coerce you into coexisting with her anymore but can we not let this come between the two of us?" Sasha may be my girlfriend but Bella is still my best girl. One is as important as the other.

She rolls her eyes at me. "You're an idiot if you think I'll let that bitch take my best friend away, though I'm gonna need your help, too, because you're like this bee coming after the nectar when she's around."

I let out a relieved laugh just as the horn honks twice, demanding my attention. "I'll keep that in mind. You doing something tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'm going down to First Beach with Tanya for some girl-bonding she's been itching to have. Spend time with your girl tomorrow, pal," Bella tells me with a wink.

I nod, and the horn honks again, thrice this time. Bella scoffs, "Don't make the Queen wait.

"I should go."

"Yeah, you should. Good night, pal."

"Nights, B."

"Drive safely."

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**So... what do you guys think? **

**Don't forget to review this chapter! I'll appreciate it. **


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